Document Author: Meredith Manze

Parenting Students and Indicators of Financial Stability, Health, and Academic Success: Findings from a Population-Based Sample of Public Urban University Students (2024)

Parenting students constitute a significant portion of the college population, with 22% of undergraduate students nationwide managing the dual responsibilities of parenthood and education. Single-parenting students face disproportionate challenges to achieving academic success. This study examines the health, financial, and academic aspects of parenting students attending a large, urban public university, specifically comparing single parents to their married or cohabiting counterparts and non-parenting students in New York City. We collected data from 2104 participants, including 142 single parents and 119 married or cohabiting parents, through a cross-sectional survey. Using adjusted regression models, we evaluated the associations between parenting status and financial, health, and academic factors. Our findings reveal that, in comparison to non-parents, single parents are significantly more likely to carry debt (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.81), rely on food assistance (aOR 5.03), and achieve slightly lower GPAs (β − 0.11). Single parents also work more hours (aOR 1.66) and have an increased likelihood of facing debt (aOR 2.66), housing difficulties (aOR 2.80), food insecurity (aOR 2.21), and lower GPAs (β − 0.22) compared to their married or cohabiting peers. The disaggregation of single and married or cohabiting parents reveals significant disparities, emphasizing the vulnerability of single-parenting students in higher education. Targeted interventions addressing issues like food security and housing are essential to support the academic success of single parents.

The Cumulative Impact of Unmet Essential Needs on Indicators of Attrition: Findings from a Population-Based Sample of Public University Students in the Bronx, NY (2023)

In recent decades, a growing proportion of college students have experienced nancial stress, resulting in unmet essential needs including food insecurity, housing instability, lack of healthcare access, and inadequate mental health treatment. Given that urban-based public universities constitute a substantial proportion of the U.S. college student population, understanding how unmet needs affect academic achievement in this population is crucial for developing strategies that alleviate college failure and dropout. We examined the cumulative impact of unmet essential needs on indicators of college attrition (dropout, leave of absence, risk of academic probation). The sample comprised a population-representative sample of 1,833 students attending one of three urban public colleges in the Bronx, NY. Employing multinomial and binomial logistic regression models, we assessed how total unmet essential needs predicts any indicator of college attrition. Each unit increase in unmet need increased the odds of having any attrition indicator by 32% (p < 0.01). Students with one unmet need had 17% greater odds (p = 0.04), students with two unmet needs had 55% greater odds (p < 0.01), students with three unmet needs had 73% greater odds (p < 0.01), and students with four unmet needs had 82% greater odds (p < 0.01) of having any attrition indicator. Findings revealed a modest dose-response relationship between the number of unmet needs and the likelihood of experiencing indicators of attrition, supporting a potential causal link between unmet needs on the risk of attrition. Designing interventions aimed at college students with multiple unmet essential needs, and addressing these needs holistically, can potentially enhance student retention and graduation rates.